Xaviers!

"Of course." she answers both of them before raising the pot a reasonable amount.

"Well, never let it be said that I don't play fair with a lady," Dashwood laughed, calling.

The newbie, flustered, finally folded under the pressure.

Dashwood flipped over his cards--he had flopped two pair, a pair of kings and a pair of tens. That wouldn't beat Miriam's jacks!

"As long as you don't mind losing." Miriam grins broadly as she flips over her cards, revealing her three jacks. She doesn't even try to hide her very real relief though. "I was almost starting to get a little nervous there." she laughs.

Most of the table groaned at Miriam's incredible luck.

"Something tells me you weren't going to be in too much trouble tonight," Dashwood smiled, pushing his chips her way.

"All's fair in love and war." she smirks back at him as she collects her chips. This was already more money than she's ever had at any one point in her life, but why stop now.

"An admirable slogan, though one you should be careful about espousing," Dashwood smiled. "Some would say it's best to quit while you're ahead. Others have...more vision."

"Who are you!?" Miriam mentally yells at Strawhat, mostly out of frustration about getting nothing from his mind. Better than showing her frustration on her face at the very least and she doesn't think he'll actually pick it up anyway with hos resilient he seems to her telepathy.

"The night is still young." she just says out loud, arranging her winnings in neat stacks in front of her.

A friend, Dashwood's voice came back, mentally.


Well, THAT wasn't what Miriam was expecting, presumably.

Miriam can't help but let her eyes widen a little in surprise and glance over at Dashwood.

"A telepathic friend at that." she finally musters the thoughts to respond, telling herself that if he was going to rat her out he probably would have already. And would risk outing himself along with her.

Something like that. You're quite the talent, aren't you?.

"I have some experience, I suppose." she sends a non-committing thought.

"Maybe I'm just lazy. Why work when I don't have to." she points out, kind of kneejerking at the notion that she's just not good enough. "And I could just make them give me money but then I'm just putting a coat of paint on theft."

"People tend to not have the best of reactions to what I can do. And those that do tend to try and take advantage of it somehow." she responds, thinking of Trinity and Melpomene's shadow.

As well they should.

And if YOU should ever want to take advantage of it, perhaps you should look me up.

Miriam would get the clear mental picture of an address, located in a ritzy part of London--as well as, oddly enough, the number 57.

Enjoy the rest of your evening cleaning out the tables, but you may want to leave the dress in Vegas next time--I'm sure you could find something more appropriate for it to do; it seems to quite like you..

Dashwood stood up to cash out his chips.

Miriam didn't like his mental tone, but she couldn't deny that he had at least somewhat of a point. As he cashes out his chips she sends one last message his way.

"Why Vegas?"

Hrm? Hadn't you taken that dress there before? It seems to remember that quite well... Dashwood said, on his way out.

Miriam is forced to grit her teeth at that. Being mistaken for Melpomene now seemed to bloody spread. She tries to focus on the game again, but some of the enjoyment has been sucked out of it.